Blog Posts.These are some of my stories.
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Moments Leading to Now.
4-11-2019
(I know Keith told us not to start with our birth, but...)
June 10th 1998, Brazil was playing Scotland in the group stages of the World Cup. Despite the five hour time difference to France, where the game was being played, everyone in Brazil had their televisions and radios tuned in. Everyone except for my parents, for they were unsuccessfully navigating the many streets in São Paulo trying to find a hospital so that I could be born. My parents rushed into the hospital, and all the doctors were of course surrounding the television watching the game. The doctors tried convincing my mom to name me “Renaldo if it’s a boy, or Renalda if it’s a girl” after the goal-scoring Brazilian soccer player. After the doctors actually stopped listening to my heartbeat and turned up the game volume, my dad, the biggest soccer fan I know, insisted the television be turned off.
This is how I came into the world, in absolute chaos and ambiguous circumstances. Listening to my mom tell this story is absolutely hilarious. My entire life has been defined by her incredible ability to tell stories and see the light and humor in any situation. This is so starkly contrasted by my serious father who always has everything under control and has a more matter-of-fact style. They are so different yet as a team have shown me the art of balance, and the importance of understanding who you are and how you think. They work better together (cue that Jack Johnson song), and that is a really beautiful thing. They both embrace the beauty of situations that are difficult and have never shied away from immersing themselves into new cultures.
(I know Keith told us not to start with our birth, but...)
June 10th 1998, Brazil was playing Scotland in the group stages of the World Cup. Despite the five hour time difference to France, where the game was being played, everyone in Brazil had their televisions and radios tuned in. Everyone except for my parents, for they were unsuccessfully navigating the many streets in São Paulo trying to find a hospital so that I could be born. My parents rushed into the hospital, and all the doctors were of course surrounding the television watching the game. The doctors tried convincing my mom to name me “Renaldo if it’s a boy, or Renalda if it’s a girl” after the goal-scoring Brazilian soccer player. After the doctors actually stopped listening to my heartbeat and turned up the game volume, my dad, the biggest soccer fan I know, insisted the television be turned off.
This is how I came into the world, in absolute chaos and ambiguous circumstances. Listening to my mom tell this story is absolutely hilarious. My entire life has been defined by her incredible ability to tell stories and see the light and humor in any situation. This is so starkly contrasted by my serious father who always has everything under control and has a more matter-of-fact style. They are so different yet as a team have shown me the art of balance, and the importance of understanding who you are and how you think. They work better together (cue that Jack Johnson song), and that is a really beautiful thing. They both embrace the beauty of situations that are difficult and have never shied away from immersing themselves into new cultures.
Strong Women: may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.
Although I always felt supported by my parents, I didn’t feel a true sense of community among my peers until I started going to summer camp when I was 13. I went to summer camp because, out of all of my siblings, I loved being outside and was just consistently covered in dirt. Camp is where I felt celebrated, comfortable, and for the first time I was a part of a strong community of women that supported each other. Camp provided me with so many role models that intentionally created an environment of acceptance. Being able to work as a counselor later on, filled me with joy for I know how important camp was for me and how it was instrumental in my formation as a person.
The transition from camper to counselor was a difficult yet an extremely rewarding one. I went from being always looked after as a camper to the primary caretaker of 10, 13 year old girls. I remember every Sunday we would have girl staff meetings. These meetings were so full of genuine concern for how to build a loving and accepting community, what it means to be a role model and to embody that in everything that we do, and the very real challenges our campers are going through. Being a part of such a dedicated and positive staff really informed my view and understanding of leadership, and what values I want to bring to every job that I do.
Camp exemplifies so many of the values that I try to practice everyday. Camp uses fun and humor as a driver to connect with people. It exemplifies positivity and community. Camp is a space to support each other, and it is the first space where I was a part of a large community of women that supported me. Furthermore, camp fosters real and extremely powerful connections.
Although I always felt supported by my parents, I didn’t feel a true sense of community among my peers until I started going to summer camp when I was 13. I went to summer camp because, out of all of my siblings, I loved being outside and was just consistently covered in dirt. Camp is where I felt celebrated, comfortable, and for the first time I was a part of a strong community of women that supported each other. Camp provided me with so many role models that intentionally created an environment of acceptance. Being able to work as a counselor later on, filled me with joy for I know how important camp was for me and how it was instrumental in my formation as a person.
The transition from camper to counselor was a difficult yet an extremely rewarding one. I went from being always looked after as a camper to the primary caretaker of 10, 13 year old girls. I remember every Sunday we would have girl staff meetings. These meetings were so full of genuine concern for how to build a loving and accepting community, what it means to be a role model and to embody that in everything that we do, and the very real challenges our campers are going through. Being a part of such a dedicated and positive staff really informed my view and understanding of leadership, and what values I want to bring to every job that I do.
Camp exemplifies so many of the values that I try to practice everyday. Camp uses fun and humor as a driver to connect with people. It exemplifies positivity and community. Camp is a space to support each other, and it is the first space where I was a part of a large community of women that supported me. Furthermore, camp fosters real and extremely powerful connections.
What’s your flight path?
Being away from home was not a new concept for me, I chose a school that is a 6 hour plane ride from home, and I had not spent a summer at home since I was 13. There seems to be an innate, and extremely powerful, need for me to explore. I am absolutely fascinated by things that are different from what I know. My curiosity and love for experiencing new cultures and places has lead to this past year to be quite nomadic.
After about 30 hours of traveling (that’s what I get for buying the cheapest plane ticket I could find) I landed in Cochabamba, Bolivia. After attempting to sleep, but not succeeding due to my lovely altitude sickness, we were up at 4 am the next morning to go to the Winter Solstice Festival. The festival was absolutely incredible hundreds of people in the darkness gathered around huge bonfires singing and dancing. When the sun rose everyone reached out towards the sunlight streaming over the mountains. People were saying intentions and exclamations of gratitude in quechua, a language I had never heard before, and there was this unbelievable, overwhelming sense of community and for lack of a better word magic.
Living and working in Bolivia was such an overwhelmingly positive experience. I met so many people that had lead such interesting and rich lives. My host mom, Helga, immediately accepted me and made me feel so safe, comfortable, and happy. My boss Anna and her husband Carlos treated me, and the other interns, like their family. I am so grateful for them and their open arms.
I spent the next three weeks at home spending as much time as possible with my parents and getting mind-boggling amounts of medications and vaccinations. Next stop was Bodh Gaya, India. While in India, I worked on my own research project and conducted interviews. I am so privileged to have met such incredibly resilient, intelligent, and inspiring individuals during that time. I learned so much about the complex social structures and the history that formed those structures in India. That experience really opened my eyes to the influence and importance of storytelling.
Being away from home was not a new concept for me, I chose a school that is a 6 hour plane ride from home, and I had not spent a summer at home since I was 13. There seems to be an innate, and extremely powerful, need for me to explore. I am absolutely fascinated by things that are different from what I know. My curiosity and love for experiencing new cultures and places has lead to this past year to be quite nomadic.
After about 30 hours of traveling (that’s what I get for buying the cheapest plane ticket I could find) I landed in Cochabamba, Bolivia. After attempting to sleep, but not succeeding due to my lovely altitude sickness, we were up at 4 am the next morning to go to the Winter Solstice Festival. The festival was absolutely incredible hundreds of people in the darkness gathered around huge bonfires singing and dancing. When the sun rose everyone reached out towards the sunlight streaming over the mountains. People were saying intentions and exclamations of gratitude in quechua, a language I had never heard before, and there was this unbelievable, overwhelming sense of community and for lack of a better word magic.
Living and working in Bolivia was such an overwhelmingly positive experience. I met so many people that had lead such interesting and rich lives. My host mom, Helga, immediately accepted me and made me feel so safe, comfortable, and happy. My boss Anna and her husband Carlos treated me, and the other interns, like their family. I am so grateful for them and their open arms.
I spent the next three weeks at home spending as much time as possible with my parents and getting mind-boggling amounts of medications and vaccinations. Next stop was Bodh Gaya, India. While in India, I worked on my own research project and conducted interviews. I am so privileged to have met such incredibly resilient, intelligent, and inspiring individuals during that time. I learned so much about the complex social structures and the history that formed those structures in India. That experience really opened my eyes to the influence and importance of storytelling.
Values
As a person I want to continue to build compassion for others. I have found compassion to be the most helpful and important ingredient in my life so far. It is because of the compassion of others that I have been able to pursue my dreams, and it is with compassion that I can continue to learn about the world and act in a way that promotes good.
Through the power of storytelling I have met and learned from so many incredible people. Everyone has a story and that story looks different for everyone. We often like to assume we know what a person’s life looks like based off where they live, but that can not be farther from the truth. By focusing on listening and beginning every interaction with a commitment to compassion, I can start to see the complexity and nuance that every life produces.
This year was full of so much reflection and learning, but there so is so much more to learn about the world that we live in. I am so excited to continue my learning this summer through the lens of social entrepreneurship and action research.
As a person I want to continue to build compassion for others. I have found compassion to be the most helpful and important ingredient in my life so far. It is because of the compassion of others that I have been able to pursue my dreams, and it is with compassion that I can continue to learn about the world and act in a way that promotes good.
Through the power of storytelling I have met and learned from so many incredible people. Everyone has a story and that story looks different for everyone. We often like to assume we know what a person’s life looks like based off where they live, but that can not be farther from the truth. By focusing on listening and beginning every interaction with a commitment to compassion, I can start to see the complexity and nuance that every life produces.
This year was full of so much reflection and learning, but there so is so much more to learn about the world that we live in. I am so excited to continue my learning this summer through the lens of social entrepreneurship and action research.